Is Success The Same Thing As Fame?

George Harrison might not be known as the most famous Beatle, but he really nailed it with the following quote.

“I want to be successful, not famous.”

Preach, George. Preach.

So what is the difference between success and fame- especially as it relates to being a business owner? Let’s take a look.

The trusty old Webster’s dictionary defines success as the following; “degree or measure of succeeding; favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.”

Webster’s definition of the word famous is a tad different; “widely knownorhonored for achievement.”

Neither one of these things sounds like a bad deal, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want to be either rich or the winner of the popularity contest? At Braizen, we get caught up on this word famous though. More specifically, the one word missing from the definition of ‘famous’.

Wealth.

Let’s break it down even further. It’s not exactly wealth we are after (well, maybe a little) but it’s more so the word ‘profitability’ we’re chasing. That’s what makes us here at Brazien feel like what we do for a living is worth it. Well, worth it in the logistical someones-gotta-put-a-roof-over-my-head kind of way. This is, of course, is in addition to the loving feedback from our clients that also makes us feel like our job is ‘worth it’.

However, for those of you that don’t know, figuring out a way to be profitable in the creative services world takes some well thought systems and a whole shit load of talent. Our profitability comes from referrals, and the type of referrals we get are typically word-of-mouth (although the google really seems to love us too because we nailed that #SEO).

But back to our point, fame and success create a bit of a balancing act conundrum. People need to know who we are, which means we have to put ourselves out there for people to see. We wouldn’t say that makes us ‘famous’ though. It means that our work impressed someone and that someone thought it important to tell another someone and that other someone hires us for their project then tells another someone. Wash, rinse, repeat.

And that folks is basically our (not so) secret roadmap to achieving success (read: profitability). Do kick ass work and be kind to your clients. If you become famous in the process, that’s just icing on the cake. And you best believe, we’ll be asking for an autograph!